I have come to believe that by and large the human family has all the same secrets.
- Fredrick Buechner

Friday, January 22, 2010

With Us, Not Just Supporting

Fruit with Seeds

Mission committee met last night. One of our missionaries came in to give us an update. She reported:

"Something about this city is different... it's a better environment for getting volunteers. In [previous city] it was so hard. People would commit for the year and disappear after a few months. Our kind of work, you may not have something to show. It takes longer to make a difference.

"But now we've got people who are really with us. With us, not just supporting. I mean, support is great. But to have people really with you - we're so encouraged. One couple is coming down from [another city]. They told us there is a trailer park near them there and it's just full of kids. They really have a heart for those kids. They want to start a ministry like ours at that trailer park. So they are working with us to learn how to do it.

"This is fruit with seeds!"

* * *

Another couple, D. & J., have been part of our church for a long time. D. is a computer guy. He enjoys helping people fix their computers and solve their technical problems. He helps a lot of people in our church. Whenever a missionary comes through who mentions a problem with their machine someone will point them to D. and he steps in. He has them over to his house, listens to their stories, and fixes their computers. He loves to put those skills to use.

M. noticed. He's connected to our church and serves as a recruiter for a medium-sized missionary sending agency. They started sending all their new recruits to D. when they come to Colorado to go through language and culture acquisition courses. D. helps them make sure they are all set up to take sensitive materials overseas; he encrypts their hard drives, helps them make smart email choices, and make sure they are safe from viruses and spyware.

Now this agency is having a week-long staff conference in a major city that's central to the region where they work. M. asked D. if he could come and work on computers. D. is so excited. You should see him. It's the perfect opportunity for him to serve. Looks like he and his wife, J., will both go. She's been the director of children's ministries for many years. Any chance the staff conference needs a kids' program? Even if there is already something in the works I'm sure they will put her to work, too. Besides, someone needs to be there to make sure D. eats and sleeps instead of trying to work on computers 24/7.

Both D. and J. want to make serving this agency a team effort. It will cost about $4,000 to get them to the conference and pay their expenses. They are eager to involve other people in the church who have profited from D.'s computer skills and J.'s work with their children. Can they pray, and help with the expenses, not only ministering to D. and J. but also to the hundreds of missionaries serving with M.'s agency? I anticipate a very positive response. And who knows how many might follow D. and J.'s example and look for creative ways to put their own skills to work?

The mission committee couldn't be more pleased. This seems like fruit with seeds in it, too.

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About Me

I play with words, travel the world, meet people, listen to stories, live by faith, read all the time, and write about what I see and hear. This blog is a place where you can find observations on this life. My views are not necessarily those of my organization, though so far they are tolerant of my quirks. So is my husband, Chris: In May 2012 I left behind a lifetime of singleness to become a wife and stepmother.

When Everything is Missions

No author credit on this one, but it already had two authors (and they needed an editor). So though I put in 120 hours on it, decided it was best to bury my name in the acknowledgements. Did the same thing a few years ago with "God's Heart for the Nations." Soft launch of WEIM was October 2017, complete release January 2018.

Study Guide for Christian Workers

The study guide I wrote in the fall of 2015, based on content already created by the other author, came out in February, 2016. Turned out great! This kind of collaboration is a great way to go. Sadly, the publisher shut down in 2017.

Stories from the Lives of Missionary Women

Yeah, I wrote this one too. It came out more than 10 years ago but continues to find an audience. Click on the image to learn more.

Followers

Say you wanted to financially partner with Marti's ministry, how would you do it?